MDC offers free maple sugaring workshop Feb. 23 in Blue Springs

Kansas City, Mo. – Trees begin getting ready for spring long before flowers bloom. They pull moisture and nutrients from the ground during late-winter warm ups. Sap moves from the roots to the limbs as a tree prepares for leaves to emerge. If that tree happens to be a sugar maple, that sap can be tapped and boiled into a classic syrup for topping off pancakes and waffles.

A free maple sugaring workshop will be offered by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs.

Various native trees can be tapped in late winter to collect sap and boil it into syrup. Although, the sugar maple sap has the highest sugar content and thus requires less sap to produce an edible topping. Plus, it tastes great.

MDC staff at the workshop will demonstrate the equipment and techniques needed to tap trees for sap. They will discuss how to convert sap to syrup in the kitchen. A portion of the program will be outdoors, so participants should dress appropriately for winter weather.

This program is open to all ages. For information, call 816-228-3766. Burr Oak Woods is located at 1401 N.W. Park Road.